Device and method for inspecting and cutting strips of security documents

ABSTRACT

A device and a method for processing valuable documents, such as securities, involves the separating of sheets of such documents into strips of documents. These strips are inspected and are subsequently cut into individual valuable documents, such as banknotes.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a device and to a method for processingsecurities. Strip-like printed material has a plurality of securities orbills arranged one behind the other. The strips are conveyed past aninspection device and are then cut transversely into individual securitydocuments. The accuracy of the cuts is then checked.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

CH 669 945 A5 describes a device for processing securities, wherein asheet is imprinted with a plurality of copies. Here, a quality controlof the individual copies is performed. The individual copies are alsoarranged linearly on the strips.

EP 0 286 317 A discloses a conveying device for conveying individualstrips of securities. An inspection device with a downstream arrangedtransverse cutting device is provided there.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is based on providing a device and amethod for processing securities.

The object of the present invention is attained by processing strip-likematerials that have a plurality of securities or bills arranged onebehind the other. The individual strips are conveyed past an inspectiondevice. This inspection device checks the images printed on the strips.Once the images have been checked, the strips are transversely cut. Acut checking device is positioned downstream of the transverse cuttingdevice. The individual security documents can be arranged in stacks.

The advantages which are realized by the present invention consist, inparticular, in that a device for processing securities creates “inline”stacks of individual checked securities, wherein an increased processingspeed during inspection is possible in comparison with the inspection ofindividual securities.

The device is constructed to be narrow in comparison with the processingof sheets with a plurality of copies lying next to each other.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Preferred embodiments of the present invention are illustrated in thedrawings and will be described in greater detail in what follows. Shownare in:

FIG. 1, a schematic representation of processing of sheets into strips,

FIG. 2, a schematic representation of the processing of strips,including the inspection, and in

FIG. 3, a schematic representation of the further conveyance of thestrips following inspection, all in accordance with the presentinvention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The edges are cut off a plurality of copies 01, for example bills,located behind and next to each other on imprinted sheets 02, as seen inFIG. 1. The sheets 02 are thereafter cut transversely to their initialdirection of travel into strips 03. In this case, a width b3 of a strip03 approximately corresponds to a length l1, as shown in FIG. 3, of theindividual copy 01, i.e. the length of a bill. These strips 03 of asheet 02 lying next to each other are then arranged in an appropriatesequence on top of each other to form stacks 04 consisting of strips 03,again as depicted in FIG. 1.

These stacks 04 are then arranged in such a way that their longitudinalaxis now lies in the conveying direction T as shown in FIG. 2.

These stacks 04 are conducted to a separating device 06, which unstacksthe strips 03 and conducts the strips 03 individually one behind theother to a first conveying device 07. This first conveying device 07 hasa conveyor belt 08, or several conveyor belts 08 placed side by side.The conveyor belts 08 can be charged with a vacuum, i.e. the conveyorbelts 08 can be charged with suction air. The width b8 of the conveyorbelts 08 is adapted to the maximum width b3 of the strips 03 to beprocessed. The first conveying device 07 has an approximately straightsection, whose length corresponds at least to a maximum length l3 of astrip 03 to be conveyed.

An inspection device 09, which checks a first side of the strip 03, isarranged opposite the first conveying device 07. This inspection device09 has a CCD area camera, for example, and checks the printed image of afirst side of the strip 03.

A second conveying device 11 is arranged downstream of the firstconveying device 07. The second conveying device 11 is structurallyidentical to a large extent with the first conveying device 07, butfaces the already checked first side of the strip 03.

The printed image of a second side of the strip is checked by means of asecond inspection device 12 positioned opposite the second conveyingdevice 11, as seen in FIG. 2.

A transverse cutting device 13 is arranged following the two conveyingdevices 07, 11 and cuts the strip 03, which was checked on both sides,into individual copies, as is shown in FIG. 3.

A device 14 for extracting copies 01 which have been found to bedefective by the inspection devices 09, 12 is arranged downstream of thetransverse cutting device 13. This device 14 for extraction is operatedselectively as a function of a signal generated by the inspectiondevices 09, 12.

The copies 01 are subsequently conducted to a device for collection 16,for example a paddle wheel, and are deposited in stacks 17 of, forexample, 100 pieces.

These stacks 17 of individual copies 01, for example bills, areconducted to a device 18 for being banded.

Thereafter, the individual banded stacks 17 are counted by means of adevice 19 for counting individual bills, and are conducted to a device21 for checking the cut.

While a preferred embodiment of a device and a method for processingvaluable documents, such as security documents and bills, in accordancewith the present invention has been set forth fully and completelyhereinabove, it will be apparent to one of skill in the art that anumber of changes in, for example, the type of printing press used toprint the securities or bills, the drive devices for the conveyingdevices and the like could be made without departing from the truespirit and scope of the present invention which is accordingly to belimited only by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A device for processing strips of printedmaterials, each said strip including a plurality of individual copiesarranged one behind the other in said strip, said device comprising: afirst strip conveying device adapted to convey individual ones of saidstrips, said first strip conveying device having a width, said firststrip conveying device width being at least the same as a maximum widthof a strip to be processed, the maximum width of a strip to be processedcorresponding to a length of one copy in the plurality of individualcopies on each said strip of printed materials, said first stripconveying device including at least a first suction conveyor belt; atleast a first inspection device adapted to inspect a printed image on afirst side of each of said strips, said first inspection device beingarranged opposite and facing said first strip conveying device; atransverse cutting device arranged after, in a direction of striptravel, said at least first inspection device, said transverse cuttingdevice being adapted to cut said strips into individual copies; and adevice for checking cutting of the individual copies, said device forchecking cutting being arranged after said transverse cutting device. 2.The device of claim 1 wherein a length of each strip is a multiple ofthe width of each strip.
 3. The device of claim 1 wherein said at leastfirst inspection device is a CCD area camera.
 4. The device of claim 3further including first and second inspection devices.
 5. The device ofclaim 1 further including a second strip conveying device positionedafter, in said direction of strip travel, said first strip conveyingdevice, and a second inspection device arranged opposite said secondstrip conveying device, said second strip conveying device including asecond suction conveyor belt, said second inspection device beingopposite said second suction conveyor belt.
 6. The device of claim 1wherein said first strip conveying device has a straight conveyingsection having a length, said length being at least equal to a maximumlength of a strip of printed material to be processed.
 7. The device ofclaim 1 further including a device for extracting individual copies,said extraction device being positioned after said transverse cuttingdevice.
 8. The device in accordance with claim 1 further including acopy collecting device and a copy stacking device arranged after saidtransverse cutting device.
 9. The device of claim 8 further including abanding device after said copy collecting device.
 10. The device ofclaim 8 further including a counting device after said copy collectingdevice.
 11. A method for processing securities including: providing aplurality of sheets with each of said plurality of sheets beingimprinted with a plurality of copies of securities; cutting each of saidsheets into a plurality of strips with each said strip having a stripwidth corresponding to a copy length; arranging said plurality of stripsinto stacks of strips; providing a first strip conveying deviceincluding a first suction conveyor belt; removing a top one of saidstrips from said stack of strips and conducting said removed strip tosaid first strip conveying device; providing a first strip inspectiondevice opposite said first suction conveyor belt and inspecting a firstside of each imprinted strip during transport of said strips by saidfirst strip conveying device; providing a second strip conveying deviceincluding a second suction conveyor belt, and located after, in a stripconveying direction said first strip conveying device; providing asecond strip inspection device opposite said second suction conveyorbelt and inspecting a second side of each imprinted strip duringtransport of said strips by said second strip conveying device; cuttingeach said strip into a plurality of individual securities; andcollecting said individual securities and arranging said individualsecurities to form a stack of securities.